Young Patriot 2025

Directed by Maëlle Kauffman

Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, who forged the German Empire “with iron and blood,” once said that wars are won not by generals, but by teachers and priests. Following a similar logic, Russian President Vladimir Putin established Yunarmiya in 2016 — a nationwide system of military training for children aged eight to seventeen. This film offers an inside look at the lives and upbringing of the Yunarmiya cadets in the city of Vologda.